U.S. patent number 5,672,108 [Application Number 08/586,589] was granted by the patent office on 1997-09-30 for electronic game with separate emitter.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Tiger Electronics, Inc.. Invention is credited to Clive Lam, Ralph F. Osterhout.
United States Patent |
5,672,108 |
Lam , et al. |
September 30, 1997 |
Electronic game with separate emitter
Abstract
An electronic game comprising an emitter unit and a target unit.
The emitter unit can emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation of a
particular wavelength. The target unit has a liquid crystal display
and an electromagnetic radiation sensor for measuring the amount of
electromagnetic radiation directed at it from the emitter. An
electronic controller inside the target unit controls the flow of
the game and receives input signals from the radiation sensor which
affect the game.
Inventors: |
Lam; Clive (Kwun Tong,
HK), Osterhout; Ralph F. (San Francisco, CA) |
Assignee: |
Tiger Electronics, Inc. (Vernon
HIlls, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
24346363 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/586,589 |
Filed: |
January 16, 1996 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/39; 463/2;
463/51 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F
9/0291 (20130101); F41G 3/2655 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63F
9/02 (20060101); F41G 3/00 (20060101); F41G
3/26 (20060101); A63F 009/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;463/36,37,39,47,50,51,2
;545/158,182 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Harrison; Jessica
Assistant Examiner: Schaff; James
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fitch, Even, Tabin &
Flannery
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electronic game comprising:
an emitter unit for emitting a directed beam of electromagnetic
radiation; and
a target unit comprising:
a display partitioned into multiple target areas for displaying a
target viewable within at least one of said multiple target areas;
and
multiple electromagnetic radiation sensors along the periphery of
said display, each of said sensors being associated respectively
with one of said multiple target areas of said display for
detecting said directed beam of electromagnetic radiation at the
one of said multiple target areas associated therewith;
said display having a plurality of display states viewable within
at least one of said multiple target areas responsive to said
directed beam of electromagnetic radiation when said emitter unit
projects said directed beam of electromagnetic radiation onto the
sensor associated respectively with the target area at which the
emitter unit is directed, a poll of said multiple electromagnetic
radiation sensors determining whether any of said sensors detect
said directed beam of electromagnetic radiation at associated
multiple target areas of said display, wherein a hit detection
signal is generated in response to said poll determination of the
sensor corresponding to the target area which detects said directed
beam of electromagnetic radiation thereat generally measuring more
electromagnetic radiation than others of said multiple target
areas.
2. A game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said display comprises
a liquid crystal display.
3. A game in accordance with claim 2 wherein said emitter unit
comprises one or more infrared light emitting diodes for emitting a
directed beam of infrared light, said multiple electromagnetic
radiation sensors each comprising one or more photo-transistors
detecting infrared light.
4. A game in accordance with claim 3 wherein said emitter unit
comprises simulation of a projectile-emitting weapon such as a gun,
a bazooka or the like for emitting a directed beam of infrared
light.
5. A game in accordance with claim 4 wherein said multiple target
areas comprise quadrants of said liquid crystal display.
6. A game in accordance with claim 5 wherein said multiple
electromagnetic radiation sensors comprise at least four of said
sensors near the corners at the periphery of said display each of
said sensors being associated respectively with one of said
quadrants of said display for detecting said directed beam of
electromagnetic radiation at the one of said quadrants associated
therewith when said emitter unit aimed at said one of said
quadrants emits infrared light.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic games, and more
particularly to electronic games having liquid crystal display
(LCD) user interfaces or other interfaces.
Electronic devices having an LCD user interface are employed in a
wide variety of applications. Such applications include, for
example, instrumentation and various entertainment uses. LCD
devices are used extensively because of the relatively low cost
associated with their use.
One common use for LCD devices is in small or hand-held video
games. Such games tend to be less complex, and therefore lower in
cost, than the larger games typically found in video arcades.
Usually, these games are provided with manual input devices on the
housing of the game, and the manual input devices are in direct
contact with a circuit connected to the control chip of the game.
These manual input devices may include buttons, joysticks,
direction key pads, roller balls and the like.
The type of game being played generally dictates the most
appropriate type(s) of input device. Other factors, such as the
ergonomics and hardware cost associated with each type, may also
affect the choice of input devices. The amount of realism
incorporated into the "feel" of an electronic game often relates
significantly to the success of the particular game. The degree to
which the various available input devices approximate reality
varies considerably. When the player of the game is required to
navigate a spaceship, for example, a joystick may be satisfactory
whereas a track ball, for example, might not be.
In one very popular type of electronic game the player attempts to
survive and/or accomplish a simulated mission by using a simulation
of a projectile-emitting weapon such as a gun or a bazooka.
Typically, such a game scores the player based on his efficiency at
striking specified targets and/or his ability to avoid being
"injured" or "killed" by enemies.
A significant problem, however, with gun shooting in small
electronic games is the manipulative clumsiness of the traditional
input devices and their simultaneous inability to realistically
simulate the "feel" of aiming and firing a gun. Some games have
employed a track ball and button combination to permit one hand of
the player to translate a crosshair printed on the display of the
game while the other hand pressed a button to "fire" the gun.
Others have employed a joystick-type device to permit the player to
"steer" a crosshair while a button on top of the joystick could be
depressed to "fire" the gun. Such input devices, however, do not
closely approximate the action of firing a gun.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The inventive game offers an enhanced "feel" to the type of liquid
crystal display game described above by providing a different type
of input device which can better simulate the human kinesiology of
aiming and firing a gun.
The inventive electronic game comprises an emitter unit and a
target unit. The emitter unit can emit a beam of electromagnetic
radiation of a particular wavelength. The target unit has a display
and one or more electromagnetic radiation sensors for measuring the
intensity of electromagnetic radiation directed at them from the
emitter. An electronic controller controls the flow of the game and
receives input signals from the radiation sensor or sensors.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, described in detail
below, the emitter unit is shaped like a gun and has a trigger for
"shooting" the gun at targets appearing on the display. Thus, the
inventive game better simulates and provides the look and feel of a
gun-shooting game, eliminating the need for clumsy manual input
devices in direct contact with the circuitry of the game.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded front view of an electronic game in
accordance with the claimed invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the cabinet of the electronic game of
FIG. 1 showing some internal structure in hidden lines.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the electronic game of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a bottom view thereof.
FIG. 5 is a right side view of the cabinet of FIG. 1, taken
partially in section.
FIG. 6 is a right side view of the cabinet of FIG. 1 in a standing
position, taken partially in section.
FIG. 7 is a right side view of the cabinet of FIG. 1 in a flat
position, taken partially in section.
FIG. 8 is a top view of the gun of FIG. 1 with the swing arm in a
downward position.
FIG. 9 is a right side view of the gun of FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the gun of FIG. 8.
FIG. 11 is a right side view of the gun of FIG. 8 with the swing
arm removed, taken partially in section.
FIG. 12 is a front view of the gun of FIG. 8.
FIG. 13 is a rear view of the gun of FIG. 8.
FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the gun of FIG. 11, taken along the
line 14--14.
FIG. 15 is a schematic drawing relating to the operation of the
gun.
FIG. 16 is a schematic drawing relating to the operation of the
target unit.
FIG. 17 is a flow chart relating to the described game.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The inventive electronic game comprises an emitter unit and a
target unit. The emitter unit emits a beam of electromagnetic
radiation of a particular wavelength. The target unit has a liquid
crystal display and one or more electromagnetic radiation sensors
for measuring the amount of electromagnetic radiation directed at
it from the emitter. An electronic controller inside the target
unit controls the flow of the game and receives signals responsive
to the radiation sensor.
The preferred embodiment of the inventive electronic game 10 shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2, has a cabinet 12 and an emitter gun 70. The
cabinet 12 has a target section 14 and a gun storage section 16.
The gun storage section 16 houses the emitter gun 70 when the game
10 is not in use, and the gun 70 snaps into and out of a gun pocket
72 in the gun storage section 16. The gun storage section 16 is
rotatably mounted by its pivot arm 20 at cabinet pivot 18 (FIG.
6).
The front of the target section 14, as seen in FIG. 1, has at its
center a liquid crystal display (LCD) 22 having many possible
states. The LCD 22 is preferably about 63 mm wide and 49 mm high,
although the viewing area is restricted to about 59 mm across and
43 mm top to bottom. Surrounding the LCD 22 is a frame-shaped,
recessed display board 24 which obstructs the frontal view of the
LCD 22 along its perimeter.
At each of the four corners of the display board 24, proximate to
the hidden corners of the LCD 22 is an infrared light sensor 50. In
the preferred embodiment, the infrared sensors 50 are standard
photo-transistors, such as the ST-8LR2 or an equivalent. At the
base of the display board 24 is a cover 56 for a light emitting
diode (LED) 54 (shown in FIG. 5) which permits the LED to be seen
from the from view when it is lit during play of the game. The LED
54 is preferably 5 mm.
The upper portion of the target section 14 is a flat label recess
28 shaped for the application of an appropriate label, such as one
indicating the name of the game played by the electronic game 10.
The recess is preferably recessed about 0.5 mm to accommodate a
label of appropriate thickness. The sides of the front of the
target section 14 have lateral indentations 26. Next to the lateral
indentations 26 are speaker holes 30 which form a rectangular array
on each side of the display board 24. In the preferred embodiment,
the array is nine rows and six columns of substantially circular
holes which vary in diameter, generally having larger holes toward
the center of the array and small holes toward the perimeter of the
array. The array on the right side of FIG. 1 provides an outlet for
sounds produced by a target speaker 32 (appearing in FIGS. 2, 6 and
7). The speaker 32 is preferably an 8 ohm speaker of about 36 mm in
diameter and 5 mm in depth, and provides approximately 75 dB of
sound.
Also present on the front of the target section 14 are four
buttons, two on either side of the display board 24. To the left of
the display board, are an "on/start" button 40 and an "off" button
42. To the right of the display board, are a "pause" button 44 and
a "sound" button 46. The names of the buttons are descriptive of
their functions relating to the play of the game 10.
FIG. 2 shows some of the internal components of the target section
14. LCD 22 and speaker 32 are described above. Behind the display
board 24, and extending outwardly at its upper end is a
single-sided printed circuit board (PCB) 52 having the circuit
shown in FIG. 16 connected thereto and which controls the
functioning of the target section 14. In particular it receives
input signals from the infrared sensors 50 and the buttons 40, 42,
44, and 46 on the front of the target section 14, and it transmits
output signals to the various outputs of the game, including the
LCD 22, the speaker 32, and LED 56.
FIG. 2 also shows the location of batteries 62 which provide power
for the target section 14. Preferably, the target section 14
employs four AA batteries and is oversized by six volts of D.C.
Such a voltage will provide a maximum operating current of 70 mA
when the game starts. When the game is off, a 5 .mu.A current
maintains the game on standby. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5-7, the
battery compartment 60 has a cover 64 along the rear side of the
target section 14, and bending around the corner is lip 66.
FIG. 6 shows the cabinet 12 in a standing or folded position. Here,
the gun storage section 16 is rotated at the pivot 18 at the end of
its pivot arm 20. It is preferably rotated more than 90.degree. so
that it supports the target section 14 at an angle to the
horizontal so that a player may conveniently play the game with the
gun 70 raised above the level of the target section 14, such as
where the cabinet 12 is placed on a table, below the eye level of a
seated player.
The exploded section of FIG. 1 shows the emitter gun 70 in its
storage section 16. To fit into the storage section 16, the gun 70
must have its swing arm 80 in the upward position, touching the
bottom of the barrel 76 of the gun 70 near its end. FIGS. 8-14 show
the emitter gun 70 with the swing arm 80 in the downward position,
substantially perpendicular to the body 74 and barrel 76 of the
gun. The swing arm 80 rotates around swing pin 82 to move from one
position to the other.
Firing of the gun 70 is accomplished by pressing the trigger 78 in
toward the body 74 of the gun 70. The trigger 78 acts as the input
for a printed circuit board (PCB) 98 within the gun 70 having the
circuit shown in FIG. 15 thereon control the functioning of the gun
70. Specifically, the double-sided gun PCB 98 converts an input
signal from the trigger 78 to an output signal for activating
infrared light emitting diode (LED) 99 and gun speaker 95.
The infrared LED 99, preferably an IR TX LED (EL-8L) or the
equivalent thereof, emits an infrared light beam through an
infrared lens 79 and the outlet 77 of the gun 70. The distance
between the LED 99 and the outlet 77, as well as the diameter of
the outlet 77, determine the angle of projection from the outlet 77
of the gun 70 for the infrared light beam. Preferably, the conical
beam projecting from the gun 70 will be 4.degree. in diameter.
Thus, the perimeter of the circle projected onto a perpendicular
plane will be offset by 2.degree. from the center of the beam.
The gun preferably has two AAA batteries providing approximately
three volts D.C. At three volts, the gun has a maximum operating
current of about 70 mA while the game starts, and the current is
about 5 .mu.A when the gun is on standby (off mode).
The gun 70 includes a three volt battery operated power supply 200,
as seen in FIG. 15, which may be coupled to various other portions
of a circuit 202. The circuit 202 includes a trigger switch 204 on
the trigger 78 of the gun connected between ground and a resistor
206 connected to receive the three volt potential from the
batteries 200. A signal is capacitively coupled through a capacitor
208 through a HT-2844 integrated circuit 210 at its key 3 pin. The
integrated circuit is energized from the battery 200 through a lead
212 coupled to its VDD pin and out a lead. In response to the
switch 204 being closed, a signal is supplied via a lead 218
through a resistor 220 to an NPN transistor 222 which causes a
flip-flop 224 to change state, thereby sending signals through a
line 226 to the base of the transistor 228. Those signals are fed
through a resistor 230 to an infrared light emitting diode 99 which
causes infrared light to be emitted through the lens 79 of the gun.
In addition, when the infrared light is emitted, a signal is sent
out over a line 236 through a resistor 238 to a transistor 240
which switches a speaker 95 to produce sound.
Referring now to FIG. 16, the four input sensors on the panel
include phototransistors 252, 254, 256, and 258 which receive light
inputs and feed them to a 4051 1-of-8 switch or analog data
multiplexer which operates under the control of a plurality of
multiplex supply lines 270 driven by an SM-511 micro-controller
272. Lines 270 cause one of the signals to be selected at a time
and fed out over a line 274 to a GL3276A voltage to frequency
converter 280 which produces an output on a line which output is
fed to a BA pin of the microcontroller 272. The microcontroller 272
also drives the LCD display through a bus 290 and may be switched
on and off by an on/off switch 292, may generate sound in response
to a sound switch 294, may be switched off by an off switch 296 or
may be paused by a switch 298. Hits or other output signals may be
indicated by signals sent on a line 302 through a resistor 304
which controls the transistor 306 to control the light output from
an LED 54. A speaker 32 may also provide an audio output indication
driven by an integrated circuit 312 and controlled over a line 314
from the microcontroller 272.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the LCD presents
targets at various times in four quadrants of the display 22. Each
quadrant corresponds to one of the infrared sensors 50. Thus, when
an IR beam is emitted from the gun 70, whichever sensor 50
registers a measurement of IR light or, if more than one sensor
registers a measurement, whichever sensor 50 registers the
strongest measurement of IR light, the quadrant of the LCD
corresponding to that sensor 50 is "hit." If there is a target in
that quadrant of the LCD at the time of firing, a "hit" is
registered, and the microcontroller 60 causes appropriate outputs
such as a sound a change in the state of the LCD. If there is no
target when the gun is fired, a "miss" is registered, and the
microcontroller 60 causes different sounds and/or changes in the
state of the LCD. For optimal performance in the preferred
embodiment, the gun should preferably be held from about 0.5 to 3
feet from the LCD 22 and infrared sensors 50.
FIG. 17 is a flow chart relating the general functioning of the
microcontroller 60 during play of the preferred embodiment of the
game. When the game is turned on by depressing the on/start button
40, step 100 powers up the game and initializes certain parameters.
Specifically, the sound is turned on, the pause counter is set to
1, and the visual player targets displayed in the four quadrants of
the LCD first appear. The controller then begins a loop of
repeatedly polling for button and sensor inputs.
The controller first checks the start button in step 102. If the
start button 40 is depressed, the controller returns to step 100
and reinitializes the game. If the start button 40 is not
depressed, the controller next polls the off button 42 in step 104.
If the off button 42 is depressed, the game powers down to its off
state in step 106. If the off button is not depressed, the
controller then checks the sound button 46 in step 108. If the
sound button is depressed, the controller toggles the sound to off
or on, depending on its present state, in step 110, before
returning to step 102, the beginning of the polling loop. If the
sound button is not depressed, the controller then polls the pause
button 44 in step 112. If the pause button is depressed, the pause
counter is multiplied by (-1) such that the pause counter toggles
between a state of 1 and (-1) as the pause button is repeatedly
depressed. Because the pause loop cycles back to step 102, the
player can restart the game, turn the game off or toggle the sound
while the game is paused.
If the game is not paused, the controller then performs a poll of
the four infrared sensors 50 in step 118 and determines whether any
infrared sensors detect light from the emitting gun in step 120. If
none of the sensors 50 measures any light from the emitting gun,
the controller cycles back up to step 102 and begins the polling
loop anew. If one or more of the sensors 50 detect such light, the
controller determines which of the four sensors 50 detected the
strongest signal in step 122. Based on this determination, the
controller then creates output effects in step 124 based on the
nature of the target that was present in the quadrant of the LCD
corresponding to the sensor detecting the strongest signal. The
controller then determines in step 126 whether the game has arrived
at a state where it should interrupt game play, such as the end of
the game, or moving from one stage of a game to the next stage. If
the game has not arrived at such a point, the controller returns to
step 102 and begins the polling loop again. If an interrupt state
has been reached, the controller interrupts the game (step 128) and
provides whatever outputs are appropriate at that phase of the
game.
Many different types of games may be played with the claimed
invention. One type of game is where the player plays the role of a
police officer whose mission is to rescue hostages being held by a
number of criminals. The player is rewarded for shooting criminals
and punished for inadvertently (or intentionally) shooting
hostages. While the player is trying to shoot the criminals, they
simultaneously shoot at him. When the player gets shot, he loses
energy, and if he loses all his energy, he dies.
Occasionally gun icons may appear on the LCD. If the player
successfully shoots at such an icon, he may obtain an upgrade in
the type of gun he is using. Various types of guns have different
properties. Some can be reloaded; others cannot. Some have larger
ammunition clips than other. Some can shoot through barricades;
others cannot. Occasionally life-up icons may appear on the LCD. If
the player successfully shoots at such an icon, his energy is
completely restored. If the player dies 3 times before completing
any of the nine stages of the game, the game is over. If he
completes all nine stages, he wins the game.
Another type of game which may be played is where the player
attempts to shoot alien spaceships during intermittent intervals
when the shields of the spaceship are inactive. After a certain
amount of time, the aliens repair their shields and the player is
defenseless against their assault, so the player must destroy the
ships while their shields are faulty. There are nine stages in this
game also, and the alien spaceships form increasingly more complex
attack patterns in sequential stages.
A third type of game which may be played is where the player is a
member of a paramilitary group which must penetrate the security of
a top secret military base and detonate a nuclear device on
sub-level 3 of a control complex. The player must avoid being hit
by armed helicopters, missiles, explosions, deadly aliens, zombies
and the like. The player may discover hidden weapons, such as
grenades, shotguns, and machine guns, he can use to his benefit
along the way. This type of game has six stages, each at a
different section of the military base.
Obviously, the inventive game has numerous other applications, and
the three examples described above are merely illustrative of the
types of games that are perceived to be heavily demanded.
In the preferred embodiment, the target section 14 is approximately
150 mm wide by 155 mm tall by 25 mm deep. The gun 70 is
approximately 118 mm wide and 23 mm deep. With the swing arm 80 in
the downward position, the gun 70 is approximately 84 mm tall; when
the arm 80 is in the upward position, the gun 70 is approximately
38 mm tall.
The description of preferred embodiments is not meant to limit the
scope of the invention to the embodiments described herein. On the
contrary, many other possible embodiments of the claimed invention
could be made.
* * * * *